Meg Vezzu
Are you looking to learn more about technical editing and the skills needed to succeed in this area? Perhaps you have recently started a job in technical editing or are considering a career in the field. Or maybe your job involves editing technical documents for colleagues or clients and you would like to expand your knowledge or brush up on your skills. If any of this sounds like you, you may be interested in signing up for the course “Introduction to Technical Editing.” The next session of this six-week course will begin on April 8, 2024.
In this course, we will dive into a variety of topics related to technical editing and cover important skills that technical editors need to effectively advocate for the audience and help technical writers to produce content that is clear, organized, and useful.
The course will begin with an overview of technical editing, including the different types and levels of technical editing and important skills needed for this type of work. We will also go over tips for managing editing projects and establishing positive working relationships with writers. Next, we will learn about the different tools technical editors use to do their job, such as tools for electronic text markup (e.g., Microsoft Word track changes and Adobe Acrobat markup) and the style manuals used by different industries (e.g., APA, Chicago). In addition to an overview of grammar and mechanics that will focus on common errors, we will discuss strategies for editing for clarity, conciseness, and style, including reducing redundancy and wordiness, using active vs. passive voice, and editing according to plain language guidelines. We will also cover topics related to editing for visual design, such as use of fonts, color, graphics, figures, and tables, in addition to issues related to accessibility. Finally, we will talk about some special considerations in technical editing, including technical editing in a global context, bias-free language, and ethical issues.
The course is presented in an asynchronous format, with lesson videos posted at the beginning of each week. There will also be at least one optional live session scheduled where students can ask questions in real time. Additionally, there will be discussion forums in Moodle where students can ask questions or share information.
Students will have the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the class through weekly assignments. Some of these will involve editing content provided by the instructor, and other assignments will allow students to find content for editing (e.g., websites). The course culminates with a final assignment where students perform a comprehensive edit of a proposal.
This course is ideal for those who are just getting started in technical editing as well as those who may have some job-related experience but are looking for more formal instruction to hone their skills.
To find out more and to sign up for the course, visit https://www.stc.org/course/tech-editing-april-2024/.
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